Methamphetamine charge garners 3 1/2 years in prison

Credit given for cooperation, accepting responsibility.

Credit given for cooperation, accepting responsibility.

June 17, 2006|MARTI GOODLAD HELINE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- A man who pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute was sentenced Friday to nearly 3 1/2 in prison. U.S. District Judge Allen Sharp handed Scott Piech, 19, of South Bend, a sentence the judge described as lenient. The maximum sentence for the offense is 10 years and a $4 million fine. Piech was arrested and charged last Aug. 25 with two other men after police were involved in monitoring an arranged sale of about two pounds of methamphetamine. Piech was the driver of a car in which the drug was being delivered to the arranged site. Police found an additional 12 1/2 pounds of the drug in a search of Piech's house. He told police he was asked to store the drug in exchange for a payment of $1,000, which he had not yet received, police reported. Sharp followed the recommendation of Assistant U.S. Attorney John Maciejczyk and awarded credits to Piech for acceptance of responsibility and for his cooperation and reliability in providing information to authorities. Sharp doubled the credits sought by the government for Piech's cooperation and credited the work of defense attorney André Gammage for allowing Sharp to be lenient with Piech. "I'd like to say I'm sorry to may family and friends ... I realize what I was doing was not right. All I did was end up in prison," Piech said before he was sentenced. His parents and other relatives and friends wept during the hearing. Sharp ordered Piech to serve five years on supervised release after he gets out of prison. Two other men charged in the case also pleaded guilty to similar charges. Isair Flores of South Bend is serving a 46-month prison sentence and Hector Mendez of South Bend received a 33-month sentence in May.Staff writer Marti Goodlad Heline: mheline@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6327